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The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered the conditional arrest of a cargo ship anchored at Vizhinjam Port in connection with a Rs 9,531 crore compensation case filed by the State of Kerala over a major shipwreck and environmental damage. The vessel, MSC AKITETA II (IMO 9220847), was ordered to be detained after the state accused the owners and managers of another ship which appears to be of the same company, MSC ELSA III (IMO 9123221), of causing severe pollution off the Kerala coast. The MSC ELSA III had capsized and sunk off Kerala coast on May 25, allegedly releasing oil and cargo that harmed the marine environment, damaged the coastline and affected the livelihood of thousands of fishermen. Kerala's Environment Department, which brought the case, said the sunken vessel had 643 cargo containers and that the damage caused was enormous. The state is seeking Rs 9,531 crore in total including compensation for environmental harm, clean-up efforts and economic losses to local fishing
The blaze aboard the Singapore-flagged cargo ship, which caught fire last week off the Kerala coast, is partially contained, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) said on Wednesday. According to a DGS report about the situation as of June 17, there is a noticeable reduction in visible flames and smoke intensity across most zones of the vessel -- MV Wan Hai 503 -- that caught fire after an explosion in one of the containers aboard. The vessel was heading to Colombo from Mumbai. The other positive developments were the vessel's reduced speed, its offshore trajectory and current position at around 68.5 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, the report said. At the same time, the persistent smoke from certain sections of the ship, its history of internal flare-ups which require sustained firefighting pressure, the adverse weather conditions and the absence of a second towline were matters of concern, it said. "Weather at the site remains adverse, with westerly winds between 2934 knot
The crew of a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles to Mexico, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned ship after they could not control a fire aboard the vessel in waters off Alaska's Aleutian island chain. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship's stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles Tuesday, according to U.S. Coast Guard photos and a Wednesday statement from the ship's management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime. There were no reported injuries among the 22 crew members of the Morning Midas. Crew members abandoned ship, were evacuated onto a lifeboat and rescued by the crew of a nearby merchant vessel called the Cosco Hellas in the North Pacific, roughly 490 kilometers southwest of Adak Island. Adak is about 1,930 kilometers west of Anchorage, the state's largest city. The crew initiated emergency firefighting procedures with the ship's onboard fire suppression system. But they were unable bring the flames under control. The relevant ...
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) on Saturday said that dangerous cargo, including oil, has fallen into the Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast and cautioned the general public against touching the containers if they wash ashore. KSDMA member secretary Sekhar Kuriakose, in a voice note shared with reporters, said that the information about the dangerous cargo falling into the sea was received from the coast guard. "There is a chance the cargo, including containers and oil, will wash ashore. The public, if they see such cargo, should not go near it or touch it and should inform the police immediately," he said. He also said that there was a possibility of oil films appearing along the coast in some areas. Kuriakose also said that the coast guard has confirmed that the vessel was carrying Marine gasoil (MGO) and Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO).
A Mexican navy tall ship's fatal collision with the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday highlighted a hazard that has worried seafarers for nearly 150 years. Even before construction on the bridge was finished in the late 19th century, the topmast of a passing US Navy ship hit the span's wires and vessels continued to clip the iconic New York City structure for many years. But historians say Saturday's crash appears to be the first boat collision with the bridge to take the lives of crew members. Two Mexican naval cadets died and more were injured after the training ship Cuauhtemoc's masts crashed into the bridge as dozens of sailors stood harnessed high up in rigging as part of a public display. That's the first and possibly only time where there's been a fatality onboard of a ship that struck the Brooklyn Bridge, said Dominique Jean-Louis, chief historian at the Center for Brooklyn History, part of the Brooklyn Public Library. Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River, ..
When a Mexican navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, it was maneuvering in turbulent waters. The tide had just turned, and a fast current was heading up the East River as a 10 mph wind set in. While such hazards are easily handled by an experienced captain, mistakes can be costly in the heavily transited New York harbor, where narrow, curvy channels, winds howling off the jagged Manhattan skyline and whirlpool-like eddies can combine to make for difficult passage. In the case of the 300-foot (90-meter) Cuauhtemoc, two sailors were killed and 19 were injured Saturday evening when the training ship struck the iconic bridge, toppling the vessel's three masts like dominoes as it drifted toward a crowded pier. It's unknown what caused the collision, and an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is likely to take months. But footage of the collision shot by horrified onlookers show the ship hurtling into the bridge in reverse at full speed, suggesting the ...
Energy player HMPL on Thursday said its subsidiary Square Port Shipyard has signed an agreement with Netherlands-based Damen Technical Cooperation BV to develop its shipyard and build ships to cater to the domestic and global markets. Damen Technical Cooperation BV is a group company of Damen Shipyards Group NV with expertise is in design and construction of ships, ship components, ship repair and conversion and ship maintenance, Hazoor Multi Projects Limited (HMPL) said in a statement. Square Port Shipyard has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Damen Technical Cooperation BV to develop its shipyard and build ships for local and international markets, it said. Square Port Shipyard is located at Dabhol (Ratnagiri) in Maharashtra. It also provides a broad range of associated maritime services. "The tie up is significant milestone in our journey to be a one stop centre for clients looking for ship building and repair services in India," Fattesingh Patil, Director, Square
The US has kept an increased military presence in the Middle East throughout much of the past year, with about 40,000 forces, at least a dozen warships and four Air Force fighter jet squadrons spread across the region both to protect allies and to serve as a deterrent against attacks, several US officials said. As attacks between Israel and Hezbollah sharply spiked this week, worries are growing that the conflict could escalate into an all-out war, even as Tel Aviv keeps up its nearly yearlong fight against Hamas militants in Gaza. Hezbollah says Israel crossed a red line with explosive attacks on its communications devices and vowed to keep up the missile strikes it's launched since fellow Iranian-backed militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7 last year, setting off the war in Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who has spoken repeatedly this week to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has declared the start of a new phase of the war, shifting its focus to the norther
An aerial drone likely launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck and damaged a vessel in the Red Sea on Sunday, officials said, the latest attack by the group targeting the vital maritime corridor. The attack comes as the US has sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower back home after an eight-month deployment that saw it lead the American response to the Houthi assaults. Those attacks have seen shipping drastically drop through the route crucial to Asian, Middle East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip rages on. The drone attack happened around dawn off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It said the vessel sustained damage but its mariners on board were reported safe. It did not elaborate on the extent of the damage, but said an investigation was ongoing. The private security firm Ambrey identified the ship involved as a
Attorneys are asking a federal judge to prevent crew members on the cargo ship Dali from returning to their home countries amid ongoing investigations into the circumstances leading up to the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March. Eight of the Dali's crew members were scheduled to debark the ship and return home as early as Thursday, according to emails included in court filings Tuesday. The roughly two dozen total seafarers hail from India and Sri Lanka. That would mark the first time any of them can leave the ship since it lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26. In the court filings, attorneys representing the City of Baltimore said the men should remain in the U.S. so they can be deposed in ongoing civil litigation over who should be held responsible for covering costs and damages resulting from the bridge collapse, which killed six construction workers and temporarily halted most maritime
Investigators probing the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore said in a preliminary report on Tuesday the cargo ship Dali experienced an electrical blackout about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore while undergoing maintenance. The power outage was caused by a crewmember mistakenly closing an exhaust damper, causing the ship's engine to stall, the report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board said. The ship lost power again and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns shortly after leaving the port on March 26, which brought the bridge down in seconds. A full investigation could take a year or more, the agency said. The board launched its investigation almost immediately after the March 26 collapse, which sent six members of a roadwork crew plunging to their deaths. Investigators boarded the ship to document the scene and collect evidence, including the vessel's data recorder and information from its engine room, according